Where the Sky Hangs
by Odyssomai
Summary: He was the Kazekage, while she was no more than an ordinary girl wishing to take her chances in the shinobi world. But who saves who, that here is the question. Gaara x OC


I've been so obsessively in love with Gaara lately so here it is!

Disclaimer: I do now own Naruto

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The Kazekage gazed out the window as the moon's luminescence bathed his village; slumber, his people's temporary ruler. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temple accordingly for headache seemed to be his title's most favoured companion. Running a hand through his crimson hair, he sighed at the still unsigned papers towering his desk. He worked hard to get to where he is now, and he made it an internal point to not voice out any complaints, but it was times like these, when too much silence adorned the room, that he wished a star would abandon the sky and accompany him instead.

Sleep still escaped him, even with Shukaku gone. And as he calculated the load of work he still has to do, an image of Temari's scowling face flashed into his mind. His sister often scolded him for his lack of care when it came to his health. No longer a Jinchuuriki, sleepless nights were starting to take a greater toll on him than it ever had. And wishing to avoid further nagging from the older Sabaku, he opted to retire for the night.

He was nearing their house when he heard the sound of hurried footstep in the training grounds. It was three a.m. Who would still be up and lingering about this late? His eyebrows knotted in suspicion as he followed where the noise was coming from.

Gaara was about to pop off the cork of his gourd, but the shifting of his sand came to a halt when the reason for the ruckus was revealed to him.

A girl—probably his age or perhaps was a year younger—was running full speed toward a wall. He can sense the chakra that was unstably concentrated beneath her feet as she attempted to climb up, only to fall before she even made it halfway her goal; her long, dark hair sprawled over her face as she fell on her rear. He heard her sigh before she lied down and thrashed in frustration, letting out a loud grunt that echoed within the vicinity. He saw her stiffen for a moment, before she shot up and quickly reached for a kunai. But of course, before the sharp dagger could come in close proximity to him, his sand already swatted it away.

She squinted her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the darkness, enough to recognize the figure making his way over to her. She blanched when the moon shone light to the subject of her assault.

"K-kazekage-sama!" She stuttered, bowing down in apology. "Forgive my rudeness. I didn't recognize you."

The cause of her distress carefully observed her. Average figure. Slim—skinny, even. Whether she was a shinobi or not, he wasn't sure due to the poor display of chakra control.

"Look at me." He ordered, his voice emitting its usual rasp. She hesitated a bit, but followed his command anyway. "What are you doing at this late hour?"

"Training." She answered quietly. His non-existent brow arched.

"You are no shinobi, I presume?"

She shook her head lightly, biting her lip nervously. If she had known she'd be conversing with the Kazekage, she would have been more cautious of her display of skill—or her lack of it, for the matter. "Yes, but I wish to be."

"You have not been trained in the academy?" Gaara stepped forward, closing the distance between them, until he were but a few inches away. She tried not to be intimidated by the power emanating from him, but found it was nearly impossible as he towered over her.

"No." She paused, uncertain if she should speak more but went on, anyway. "I've always been weak, even as a child. I was forbidden by my parents to pursue my dreams to be a shinobi but— but that doesn't mean I'll bow down to such an ill-driven fate" Gaara was taken by surprise at the fire that suddenly burned the green of her eyes; he didn't know emeralds could be so electrifying when set ablaze by the right kind of luminosity.

"Tell me, why do you wish to be a shinobi? The weak will always crave the land of promise offered by strength; that, I fully understand. And it is that power that drives people to the point of insanity. Convince me that you are chasing after your dreams without the danger of putting out another's. It is too often that your kind—the ones deprived of clout—that cause destruction to our world." Gaara crossed his arms as he saw the girl grit her teeth at his words. Her eyes remained locked on his as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I respect your opinion, Kazekage-sama, but may I ask if you voice them out of concern, or fear or both?" She folded her arms beneath her chest, mirroring his posture as if challenging him. "The common denominator of us weaklings that you speak of is our desire to be strong, I will not deny that. But what separates the good from the bad, is our reason for fighting against the path that was paved contrary to our intentions. Weakness leaves you thirsty, and when finally that thirst is quenched by the feeling of abusing superiority, ones downfall ensues. But I implore you to think of me differently. I fight not only to be strong, but to be able to protect the ones I love. Nothing can ruin you more than the helplessness of not being able to save those who are precious to you." The girl clenched her hands into a fist, her nails digging into her skin painfully.

Gaara looked at her; really looked at her. And for a brief second, a flash of Konoha's firecracker of a Jinchuuriki with the same determination that saved him all those years ago came into his mind. He'd never be as articulate, but at that moment it seemed as if Naruto were standing before him; it almost made him want to smile.

Her eyes softened, and her earlier fire died down to a look of desperation. "Was that enough to convince you, Kazekage-sama?"

His cold disposition gave away nothing. "State your name."

"Adachi Rie."

The Kazekage gave her one final, incomprehensible look before disappearing into a whirl of sand. Rie let out a heavy puff of breath, both in relief that she had emotionally survived a meeting with the village's most powerful shinobi—one that she looked up to greatly—and disappointment, thinking that her words had caused no impact on him to regard her in a respectable light. She went back home, crestfallenly trudging her sore limbs.

The next day, however, Rie would find herself woken up by a Sunagakure ANBU, informing her that she was being summoned to the tower by the Kazekage himself.


End file.
